{"title":"Utilization of a public subsidy scheme for dental care services among socially vulnerable citizens out of labor in Copenhagen, Denmark.","authors":"Marie Skov Kristensen, Annette Kjær Ersbøll, Ingelise Andersen, Esben Boeskov Øzhayat","doi":"10.1080/00016357.2023.2279606","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Addressing social inequality in oral health and access to dental care is a global concern. This study aims to describe the utilization of a public subsidy scheme targeting vulnerable individuals out of labor in Copenhagen municipality (2013-2018) and to identify key characteristics of individuals eligible to apply.</p><p><strong>Material and methods: </strong>Data from Copenhagen municipality were combined with data from population and health registers. Employing logistic regression analyses, we examined the association between demographic, socioeconomic, and health-related characteristics and (1) having applied, (2) being granted, and (3) using the subsidy.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The study included 65,174 individuals aged 18-65. Of these 10,369 (15.9%) applied for subsidies, submitting a total of 18,529 applications. Overall, 83% of the applications were granted and 85% were used. Significantly increased odds of applying for subsidies were observed among individuals receiving social benefits non-stop over the past year versus none (odds ratio [OR] = 15.45, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 14.24-16.76), aged 50-65 versus 18-29 years (OR = 4.41, CI= 4.15-4.69), and having combined indicators of social vulnerability versus none (OR = 2.90, CI= 2.73-3.07).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>While the utilization of the public subsidy scheme is low, individuals who apply are likely to be granted a subsidy and use it. Vulnerability was associated with greater utilization of the scheme, yet a substantial portion of those at risk of poor oral health did not take advantage of it.</p>","PeriodicalId":7313,"journal":{"name":"Acta Odontologica Scandinavica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4000,"publicationDate":"2024-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11302627/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Acta Odontologica Scandinavica","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/00016357.2023.2279606","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"DENTISTRY, ORAL SURGERY & MEDICINE","Score":null,"Total":0}
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Abstract
Objective: Addressing social inequality in oral health and access to dental care is a global concern. This study aims to describe the utilization of a public subsidy scheme targeting vulnerable individuals out of labor in Copenhagen municipality (2013-2018) and to identify key characteristics of individuals eligible to apply.
Material and methods: Data from Copenhagen municipality were combined with data from population and health registers. Employing logistic regression analyses, we examined the association between demographic, socioeconomic, and health-related characteristics and (1) having applied, (2) being granted, and (3) using the subsidy.
Results: The study included 65,174 individuals aged 18-65. Of these 10,369 (15.9%) applied for subsidies, submitting a total of 18,529 applications. Overall, 83% of the applications were granted and 85% were used. Significantly increased odds of applying for subsidies were observed among individuals receiving social benefits non-stop over the past year versus none (odds ratio [OR] = 15.45, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 14.24-16.76), aged 50-65 versus 18-29 years (OR = 4.41, CI= 4.15-4.69), and having combined indicators of social vulnerability versus none (OR = 2.90, CI= 2.73-3.07).
Conclusions: While the utilization of the public subsidy scheme is low, individuals who apply are likely to be granted a subsidy and use it. Vulnerability was associated with greater utilization of the scheme, yet a substantial portion of those at risk of poor oral health did not take advantage of it.